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Does governing law affect bond spreads ?

Author

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  • Ratha,Dilip K.
  • De,Supriyo
  • Kurlat,Sergio Andres
  • Ratha,Dilip K.
  • De,Supriyo
  • Kurlat,Sergio Andres

Abstract

Controlling for bond and issuer characteristics, bond spreads are expected to be equal across different legal jurisdictions, and differences are expected to disappear through arbitrage. However, an analysis of 435 U.S. dollar?denominated bonds issued by 53 emerging market sovereigns during 1990-2015 reveals that after the financial crisis of 2008, the launch spread of sovereign bonds issued under U.K. law has been higher than those issued under U.S. law, by 130 basis points for BB bonds and 175 basis points for B- bonds. This effect was not significant for investment grade bonds. On average, bonds issued under U.K. law had weaker ratings and shorter tenors post-crisis. The post-crisis impact of governing law on sovereign bond spreads is not explained by collective action clauses, or first-time bond issuances. Instead, the difference seems to be related to the perception that U.S. law offers stronger investor protection, and that the investor base for bonds issued under U.S. law is larger than that for bonds issued under U.K. law. The difference in spreads persists in the secondary market even after 180 days, perhaps because of the lack of liquidity, as investors tend to buy and hold these more attractive bonds on a longer term basis.

Suggested Citation

  • Ratha,Dilip K. & De,Supriyo & Kurlat,Sergio Andres & Ratha,Dilip K. & De,Supriyo & Kurlat,Sergio Andres, 2016. "Does governing law affect bond spreads ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7863, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:7863
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    Cited by:

    1. Yinghui Chen & Lunan Jiang, 2021. "Liquidity risk and corporate bond yield spread: Evidence from China," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 21(4), pages 1117-1151, December.
    2. Chen, Juan & Liu, Chenyan & Jin, Daxiang & Xiao, Zuoping, 2025. "Impact of economic policy uncertainty on China's urban construction investment bond financing costs," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    3. Yinghui Chen & Lunan Jiang, 2019. "Liquidity Risk and Corporate Bond Yield Spread: Evidence from China," CFDS Discussion Paper Series 2019/9, Center for Financial Development and Stability at Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China.
    4. Mattia Osvaldo Picarelli & Aitor Erce & Xu Jiang, 2019. "The benefits of reducing holdout risk: evidence from the Euro CAC experiment, 2013–2018," Capital Markets Law Journal, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 155-177.
    5. Jonathan Batten & Xuan Vinh Vo, 2019. "Liquidity And Firm Value In An Emerging Market," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 64(02), pages 365-376, March.
    6. Nicoletta Layher & Eyden Samunderu, 2020. "The Impact of the Introduction of Uniform European Collective Action Clauses on European Government Bonds as a Regulatory Result of the European Sovereign Debt Crisis," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-32, December.

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    JEL classification:

    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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